Category Archives: about our town

It’s been here a year

Coffee bar for an exotic array of Yemeni drinks: Qamaria on 9th Avenue between 42nd-41st.

There is an array of fantastic desserts, too.

Right next door is a place that must have been on this block forever.

Local 42 has a generous menu, including a $9 cheeseburger. D and I choose the Mushreuben, which is perfect with a shared side of cottage fries.

We are headed for the opening night of The Art Tour (more on that soon) at Theater Row.

Destination WaHi

Annette A. Aguilar’s String Beans performed at the Jazz WaHi pre-Festival Party on Monday.

Annette A. Aguilar & StringBeans

The real kickoff is Th Nov 6th. The Festival runs at United Palace through Nov 9th.

The United Palace is a gorgeous old movie house, sitting on a square block near the GW Bridge.

The details, colors, grandeur of this place took my breath away.

Thanks to my friend Cindy, who is a genuine New York City tours guide, for introducing me to this gem. Cindy also guided me to this destination, pointing out highlights along our route. [All I knew about WaHi before this was what I learned from Lin Manuel Miranda’s musical. And it’s not the one you’re thinking of.]

The lobby of this beautiful ornate building is grand, but there’s more to see inside and out.

These photos are only of the lobby. The auditorium is even more spectacular.

Visit the United Palace to hear the Jazz WaHi Festival or over the holidays for a performance of the Nutcracker, or a movie.

The schedule for Jazz WaHi Festival, Nov 6 thru 9

For more information about the United Palace, click here.

To learn more about excursions in NYC with nyCindytours.com, click here.

For more information about the Jazz WaHi– Washington Heights Jazz Resource, click this link.

For tickets for Nov 6 through 9 to to the Jazz WaHi Festival, click here.

A picture tour

Left to right, top: •115th Street brownstones ▪︎106&3rd Avenue ¤clothing store w painted front & parked cars 101st ●church on a side street■101st betw 3rd & Lex, painted stoop  ◇next 8: restaurant on Lex bet 101-100☆101-100 across from restaurant row, park and painted structure
Projects on 114th & 3rd, walking down 3rd to 112th

City Center, city East

Across 55th

It’s a little coffee emporium with cream cakes and a Japanese [I think] vibe. Due to the lateness of the hour, I didn’t try their coffee but had a matcha tea.

I was headed to City Center Stage II to see Machinal in a 7:30 performance.

Thai. Mexican. Vietnamese, on the other hand, is a rarer find but Lyly is just a few doors, well, blocks away.

I have tried. I want to remember to share it with my friends soon.

Not their best food forward

PopUp Bagels hides under the humble brag “Not famous/But known.” Merch not food takes front and center.

Me? I like to see rows of freshly baked bagels welcoming me as I enter a bagelry.

A little down the avenue is Modern, a bakery with very inviting babka with cream toppings in the window. Bagels, all up front, look fab.

Unfortunately, an extra long toasting yielded a disappointing and under toasted mushy mealy bagel.

When you add to this last week’s ungrammatical pizza parlor with its thick crust, I may not have experienced the best New York has to offer.